While I can't speak in favor of illegality, what are laws for in the first place?

I am no commie, but as Karl Marx said, human history is the clash of the oppressor and the oppressed... The laws we're imposing on ourselves are mostly serving to help filthy-rich and not human purpose in general (music is essential culture!!!).

While illegal, I don't feel downloading some song off the internet is such a felony... It only occurs because people find CDs not worth their price, or just because of convenience. If RIAA came up with an universal system like Apple is doing, I'm pretty sure they could cut at least 1/2 of the existent on-going piracy, leaving illegal sharing for the true idiots who deserve to be sued.

My sincere opinion is that RIAA only wants to show off its muscles... They say they're losing billions of dollars every year? What a bunch of bs... Just imagine how many people in isolated countries buy new CD players and CDs every year, their consumer market has done little but grown. Personally, since I started using p2p programs I must have started buying at least 5x more CDs than what I used to. Reports like they produce is common ground for global companies, you just shift a number here and there, hold back some of the production... And go on a suing frenzy._________________Hello.

My sincere opinion is that RIAA only wants to show off its muscles... They say they're losing billions of dollars every year? What a bunch of bs... Just imagine how many people in isolated countries buy new CD players and CDs every year, their consumer market has done little but grown. Personally, since I started using p2p programs I must have started buying at least 5x more CDs than what I used to. Reports like they produce is common ground for global companies, you just shift a number here and there, hold back some of the production... And go on a suing frenzy.

RIAA does not want to adjust to changing market conditions, and it is unfortunate that our laws are crafted like that to cause undue distortion in the market. Its unfortunate that our laws have been crafted such that RIAA thinks it can get away with this. Even if they didn't have a good case, which I'm not sure they do, they could force individuals they sue to settle because of the costs of defending the charges. They will probably sue only people who cannot afford to defend themselves, by design. They want to make an example by bringing litigation and extorting filesharers(alleged copyright infringers).

I have no respect for the RIAA punks who do not respect their customers nor the concept of the free market, which uses the law as a crutch and pursues copyright infringement cases in cases other than mass infringement for profits. These people abuse the system to the hilt, bend, and even break(does the name Mitch Glazier ring a bell with anyone?) the rules to get their way. The emperor has no clothes, they are the ultimate pirates._________________The Congress shall have power...To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries; --U.S. Constitution. Article 1, Section 8.